The Keeper of Lost Causes

2016 "Nothing is forgotten forever"
7.2| 1h33m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 17 June 2016 Released
Producted By: Zentropa Entertainments
Country: Sweden
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Denmark, 2013. Police officers Carl Mørck and Hafez el-Assad, sole members of Department Q, which is focused on closing cold cases, investigate the disappearance of politician Merete Lynggaard, vanished when she and her brother were traveling aboard a ferry five years ago.

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Reviews

ChikPapa Very disappointed :(
Btexxamar I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.
Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
FrogGlace In other words,this film is a surreal ride.
seriouscritic-42569 I'll start at the top admitting I like my detective dramas to be dark, gripping, intelligent and firmly grounded in reality, however bizarre the crime story being told. I don't want superheroes in suits, impervious to beatings and bullets; I don't want ridiculously convoluted mysteries solved by unbelievable coincidence or unearned insights; I don't want villains who are Evil with a capital E, devoid of believable psychology, or even humanity - however twisted their actions might prove. So I am happy to have found the Department Q series! Much better than the majority of Hollywood detective dramas, these are somber, dark, gritty affairs, which are entirely believable without sacrificing suspense or bizarre, original crimes. Particularly in this first entry, they even go out of their way to portray a heinous, sadistic individual (imagine planning to slowly torture a victim for years!) who we are then made to understand, and even sympathize with, in a key sequence that is heartbreaking. You then watch this person for the remainder of the film without the comfortable distancing of a cartoon "Monster". Here the common, almost clichéd, character of the hard drinking "rogue cop" who is so obsessed and dedicated - however brilliant - no one wants to partner with him is treated realistically; those conditions are a result of a flawed personality, not some conceits assigned to an otherwise "likable" character who is usually also charming and funny and simply misunderstood by the two dimensional people around him. But the best characters can be interesting and involving while at the same time being frustrating and easy to dislike if the filmmakers have the courage to present a dimensional human being. And the characters here are three-dimensional. I highly recommend this film unless you're uncomfortable thinking that bad guys are humans too, that delving into the dark exacts a toll and all damaged cops don't smirk and crack one-liners like Bruce Willis selling out.
peterrichboy If your a fan of Nordic noir like me then there is enough here in Department Q to keep you entertained for 90 minutes. Whilst I did find the plot far fetched and totally implausible. The fast paced script quality acting, and the usual dark moody cinematography the Danes do so well, made this an enjoyable watch and look forward to further installments.
colindangelo It disturbs me to often find I'm not a targeted viewer for many contemporary films and gain little for the time I invest in them. But then I'm not easy to satisfy. I'm a critical viewer. Perhaps it is unlikely that one can truly engage with a thriller and remain a critical viewer? But it has not always been this way. The 'suspension of disbelief', an absolute requirement in any fiction, that allows us to follow the story rather than see actors acting roles, is what makes thrillers thrilling. And some are truly that, at least on their first viewing. However in these times directors seem to have largely abandoned the need to raise, at least, my heartbeat and "The Keeper of Lost Causes" is a perfect example of that genre. Scandinavian 'noir' has gone very grey and formulaic. I thoroughly engaged with the original "Pusher" but that was in 1996 and Danish directors have grown old and rich from their early successes and rarely keep their form, and genres themselves degenerate. I recently watched "Farewell, My Lovely" from 1975, itself a jaded copy of an original noir and "The Keeper of Lost Causes" has much similarity. A cold case, an isolated detective down on his luck and lottery winning coincidences which are central to the rather basic narrative. Both are technically well made but hardly thrilling and have been created hot, or growing colder by the year, on the financial trail of better offerings. "Chinatown" (1974) and all the earlier modern Scandinavian crime back to "Smilla's Sense of Snow" in 1997. Watch it and criticise. Then look into the archive and experience some real, "old fashioned", film noir. But even then there was good and bad. It's about being a critical viewer.
Anderson Santos The point that I should start is the official title, "The girl in the cage", I prefer by far the worldwide title since it focus more on the protagonist (has an off-topic: the Italian title makes it sound like a documentary). If you like the old drama/mystery/crime movies like I do, you will love this one, doesn't add really nothing to the gender, but it's so well produced and the acting was on point, got to love when you see an actor, Nikolaj L. Kaas in this case, waking up in a realistic way, the mood of the whole movie brings you to that slow passing detective drama, rare in our days, with all the CSI around, and ends up with a very thrilling ending.TL;dr - Noir nordish mood crime/drama